Atmosphere, Ocean and Environmental Change with Ron Smith - 07. Hydrostatic Balance

The Atmosphere, the Ocean and Environmental Change (GG 140) The hydrostatic law describes the weight of a fluid overlying a given area, or the pressure at a particular point. It can be used to calculate the approximate atmospheric mass over a particular area, or to calculate the change in pressure over a given change in altitude. A calculation of the pressure difference from the ground to the twelfth floor of Klein Biology Tower is found to agree well with measurements taken at both locations. The hydrostatic law also applies to pressure changes with depth in the ocean. 00:00 - Chapter 1. Recap of Planet Temperature 11:20 - Chapter 2. Hydrostatic Balance 19:15 - Chapter 3. Calculation of CO2 Mass in the Atmosphere 22:08 - Chapter 4. Derivation of the Differential Form of the Hydrostatic Balance Equation 26:05 - Chapter 5. Hydrostatic Law Experiment 35:14 - Chapter 6. Application of Hydrostatic Law Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://oyc.yale.edu This course was recorded in Fall 2011.